Chapter 37 Chapter Seven: Yuan Hao's Invasion of the South

After Fan Zhongyan's reforms, the combat effectiveness of the soldiers stationed in Yanzhou was greatly enhanced, effectively resisting the attack of the Xixia army.Seeing that Yanzhou could not be attacked for a long time, Li Yuanhao led his army to turn around and attack the other road on the northwestern border of the Song Dynasty, which was the area guarded by Han Qi.So, is Han Qi's defense zone solid?Can he resist Li Yuanhao's attack? Yuan Hao led the army to attack Han Qi's defense area, and Han Qi immediately ordered his general and deputy capital chief Ren Fu to fight.Ren Fu led 7,000 Song troops, defeated Xia's army, and burned Xia's food and supplies.The victory in the battle against Xia made Han Qi feel that the Xia army was not invincible, thinking that the battle of Sanchuankou was just a result of our army's hard work and being caught off guard by Yuan Hao.Ren Fu felt that Xia's army was nothing special, Yuan Hao's army of 100,000 came to invade, and I went out with 7,000 men, and burned his food and supplies as usual.

At this time, the imperial court asked Xia Song, the highest military and political officer in the Northwest, how to deal with Xixia?Xia Song was a person who "was elegant in the imperial court, and when he was appointed to the Western affairs, he was quite obsessed with disobedience and avoidance, and he asked to release his military handle" ("Song Shi Xia Song Biography").He originally wanted to be an official in the central government, but he didn't want to be in the poor and cold place in the northwest. He came here just to make a transition, so he didn't work hard and didn't care. Can't do it.It is said that he often played with concubines in the military camp, and the soldiers also complained a lot.Xia Song is obviously not very good at military matters.Since the imperial court has sent me two right-hand men, Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan, I will ask them what to do.

The opinions of Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan are highly inconsistent, or in other words, they are completely different from each other.Han Qi is the main attacker, and Fan Zhongyan is the main defender.The two argued fiercely, and Xia Song had no choice but to express both opinions to the court, asking the court to make a decision.So Xia Song sent Han Qi and judge Yin Zhu to Bianjing to meet the emperor. The reigning emperor of the Song Dynasty at that time was Song Renzong, the fourth emperor. He was thirty-two years old, young and full of ambition.Or Han Qi's method is simple and clear, and it costs less money to attack on a large scale and wipe out the Xixia ugly people.Therefore, the imperial court decreed that during the first month, soldiers and horses from all walks of life in Shaanxi would be dispatched to wipe out Xixia in one fell swoop.

After Fan Zhongyan received the imperial edict, he hurriedly went to the school and shouted no.He made two comments: First, the weather in the first month is freezing, and the supply of food and grass cannot keep up, which is very unfavorable to our army. Our army is not used to fighting in such a difficult environment, so we cannot send troops in the first month. Second, if the imperial court adopts Han Qi's suggestion, then let Han Qi attack all the way, and I defend this way, so that each other can take care of each other, and both ways go out together. If they all fail, there is no room for maneuvering No.And in case of defeat, I have to negotiate peace with Yuan Hao. I have saved this way, and I have the capital to negotiate peace with Yuan Hao.

The court felt that what Fan Zhongyan said made sense.After Han Qi heard Fan Zhongyan's proposition, he sent Yin Zhu, who had been with him to meet the emperor, to lobby Fan Zhongyan, hoping to persuade Fan Zhongyan to send troops to cooperate.Fan Zhongyan insisted on refusing. He thought Han Qi's proposition was too reckless.Yin Zhu looked up to the sky and sighed after hearing this, and told Fan Zhongyan that the public's knowledge is not as good as that of Han Gong. Han Gong said that once a war starts, victory or defeat should be ignored. You always think about defeating the battle, how to fight this battle?Fan Zhongyan said that in war, you have to emphasize victory or defeat. Why do you fight regardless of victory or defeat?So you attack yours, I defend mine, don't try to persuade me.

The two border marshals in the Song Dynasty disagreed, and the news reached Yuan Hao's ears.Xia Song's spies are quite powerful. Xia Song once planned to attack Xia in five ways, and called the generals to hold a secret meeting in his study. After the battle plan was drafted, it was locked in a large cabinet that is usually used in the study, similar to a safe, and the secrets should not be leaked. .Unexpectedly, the cabinet was stolen by Xia Guo's spies the next day, and after a few days, even the battle plan was sent back with the cabinet, and Yuan Hao had to write "read" on it.Xia Song's five-way plan to attack Xia fell through.Xia Guo's spies can even steal the filing cabinets in the secret room of the economic appeasement envoy. How can people not know the news of the feud between Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan?Therefore, Yuan Hao prepared to take advantage of the uncertainty of the Song Dynasty's monarchs and ministers to strike first, so he gathered a hundred thousand troops in Tiandu Mountain and rushed to the border of the Song Dynasty.